ESO Guilds Explained: NPC Factions and Player Guilds
“Guild” means two different things in The Elder Scrolls Online. Story factions such as the Fighters Guild unlock quests and character skill lines. Player-run guilds organize people for dungeons, PvP, trading, and social play. Joining a player guild does not unlock the Fighters Guild or Mages Guild skill lines. This guide explains both systems and how to choose where to start.
What is an ESO guild?
NPC guilds are game factions with their own questlines and progression. Player guilds are communities created and managed by players. Your player-guild membership is account-wide, and you can belong to up to five player guilds at once. You can therefore keep a trading guild and a dungeon group alongside a social guild without leaving the NPC factions.
What player guilds can offer
- Groups: A PvE guild may schedule dungeons and trials; a PvP guild may organize Cyrodiil or Battlegrounds play. Check its actual activity schedule before applying.
- Trading: A guild with at least 50 members can use a Guild Store. A public Guild Trader is a separate kiosk that a guild must hire, usually through a weekly bid; membership alone does not guarantee a trader.
- Shared storage: A Guild Bank becomes available at 10 members. Guild permissions determine who can view, deposit, or withdraw items.
- Community: Some guilds share crafting stations, explain mechanics, or arrange events. These are choices made by members, not automatic benefits that every guild provides.
How to find and join a player guild
Open the Guild Finder from the Guild menu. Browse listings by guild type and filter for a group that fits your interests. You can send an application with a short message; the guild decides whether to accept it. If you already know someone in a guild, an authorized member can invite you instead. On PC/Mac, the Guild panel is opened with G by default.
Read a listing for its main activity, time zone, platform and server, language, and any stated requirements. For a trading guild, ask whether it currently has a trader and whether it expects sales or contributions. For a trial group, check whether it runs beginner events or expects an experienced roster. The Guild Finder is a way to apply, not a promise of membership or of any particular reward.
NPC guilds and their skill lines
NPC factions do not occupy player-guild slots. Each has its own joining route and progression. The Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, and Undaunted are distinct from the player communities you find through the Guild Finder. Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood content became part of the ESO base game with Update 49. The Psijic Order remains tied to the Summerset story.
Fighters Guild
Join through a Fighters Guild hall. Its skill line advances by fighting Daedra and undead and by destroying Dark Anchors. It includes combat abilities such as Dawnbreaker. If that line matters to your build, unlock it before doing content that would contribute to its progression.
Mages Guild
Join through a Mages Guild hall. The skill line progresses by finding lorebooks with glowing purple covers across Tamriel. Its abilities include Meteor and Entropy. Reading lorebooks is a different progression path from leveling a player guild, so joining a trading guild will not advance it.
Thieves Guild
This faction's story takes place in Hew's Bane. Its skill line progresses through Thieves Guild content and centers on theft-related passives. The Thieves Guild adventure is now included with the base game; older advice that you must separately buy this DLC is outdated. Start the story through its quest starter or the related contact in an Outlaws Refuge.
Dark Brotherhood
The Dark Brotherhood story is set on the Gold Coast. Joining unlocks a separate skill line, including Blade of Woe, and progression through guild quests and contracts. Like Thieves Guild, the Dark Brotherhood adventure is included with the base game after Update 49. Blade of Woe is a stealth assassination mechanic for eligible NPC targets, not an ability that works on every character or enemy.
Undaunted
The Undaunted are the dungeon-focused NPC faction. Join their representatives and take part in dungeon activities to develop the skill line. It includes group-oriented abilities such as Inner Fire and Bone Shield. Joining the Undaunted does not itself supply a dungeon team; a player guild or the Group Finder can help you assemble one.
Psijic Order
The Psijic Order is connected to Summerset. Complete “The Queen's Decree,” travel to Artaeum, and speak with Loremaster Celarus in Ceporah Tower to join and unlock the skill line. Its abilities include Time Stop, Meditate, and Undo. Unlike Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood, the Summerset story is a separate access consideration; check your account's content access before following this route.
Which player guild should you choose?
Start with the activity you actually want to do. A trading guild is useful if you plan to sell items through a Guild Store, but check for a current public trader and any participation expectations. A PvE guild can make it easier to find repeat dungeon or trial partners. PvP guilds focus on coordinated play, while social and roleplay guilds may center on events or conversation.
If you are new, look for a listing that welcomes questions and runs content at times you can attend. Apply to a guild, try its events, and see whether its rules and atmosphere work for you. Since ESO allows several player-guild memberships, you can join communities with different purposes.
Starting tips for beginners
- Use the Guild Finder to narrow the list by activity and read recruitment details before applying.
- Ask what membership gives you access to. A Guild Bank needs 10 members and appropriate permissions; a Guild Store needs 50; a public trader must be hired separately.
- Join the NPC guilds whose quests or skill lines interest you. They are separate from player-guild membership.
- For dungeons or trials, agree on the goal of the run and let others know if you are learning mechanics. A welcoming guild can help, but schedules and teaching vary by community.
Want help with other activities across Tamriel? Browse ESO boosting.
Conclusion
ESO's two kinds of guilds serve different purposes: NPC factions give you quests and skill lines, while player guilds give you people to trade or play with. The Guild Finder is the practical first stop for a player community. If you want to work on a specific NPC skill line, follow that faction's joining route instead. Explore ESO Guilds Boost for the related service.
FAQ
No. NPC guilds are game factions with quests and skill lines. Player guilds are communities run by players for activities such as trading, PvE, PvP, or social play.
Open the Guild Finder in the Guild menu, browse and filter listings, and apply to a group that fits your goals. You can also accept an invitation from a member with permission to invite.
You can join up to five player guilds on your account. NPC guilds do not use those player-guild slots.
No. A Guild Store requires at least 50 members, and a public Guild Trader must be hired separately. Check a guild's current trader status if selling through a kiosk matters to you.
